The invention relates to gas turbine engines, and more particularly to finger seals used in gas turbine engines.
Gas turbine engines operate according to a continuous-flow, Brayton cycle. A compressor section pressurizes an ambient air stream, fuel is added and the mixture is burned in a central combustor section. The combustion products expand through a turbine section where bladed rotors convert thermal energy from the combustion products into mechanical energy for rotating one or more centrally mounted shafts. The shafts, in turn, drive the forward compressor section, thus continuing the cycle. Gas turbine engines are compact and powerful power plants, making them suitable for powering aircraft, heavy equipment, ships and electrical power generators. In power generating applications, the combustion products can also drive a separate power turbine attached to an electrical generator.
Components such as finger seals are used in gas turbine engines and act as flow discouragers and seals to seal off cavities from one another. Typically, finger seals are directly attached to components. As a result of this arrangement, heat transfers directly to the finger seal via conduction. In most instances, heat transfer via conduction is undesirable as more costly materials that perform better at higher temperatures must be used to form the finger seal.